WHEN TV presenter John Stapleton turned 70 he admits that for the first time in his life he started to feel his age.

Oldhamborn John, best known for fronting top programmes such as Nationwide, Watchdog and Good Morning Britain, and a major fan of Manchester City, says that about a year previously he had started suffering from shooting pains in his right hip and the problem gradually got worse.

“Walking and getting in and out of my car were becoming difficult,” says John, who retired from full-time broadcasting in 2015, although he makes regular appearances on LBC radio.

“One day I went to see Spurs play Man City and had to park my car a mile from White Hart Lane. I was in agony walking there and back and I thought, ‘This can’t go on’.

“At first I thought it was caused by sciatica which I’d suffered from sporadically a few years before, so I saw a doctor who specialises in it. But he took X-rays and said, ‘Sorry, no. You need your hip replaced’ and passed me on to a colleague.”

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There is nothing to fear as it is a straightforward operation these days. But don’t kid yourself that you’re going to leave hospital and run down the street because you won’t

John Stapleton

John, now 71, who has been married to fellow presenter and journalist Lynn Faulds Wood for 40 years, says that although he has never looked after his health this was the first time he had encountered a serious problem.

“I’ve been remarkably lucky,” he says. “Despite the fact that I do no exercise, drink too much and have smoked for 30 years I’ve enjoyed ridiculously good health.”

He adds: “I played football as a kid but since leaving school I haven’t done any sport. Lynn would have to drag me out for a walk. I do have high blood pressure now so I’ve taken statins for five years as well as aspirin to hopefully stop me having a heart attack or stroke.

“People said to me, ‘You must have been a great athlete to need a hip replacement’, but it was wear and tear, old age and osteoarthritis.”

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John says: “I was apprehensive about having a hip replaced. But then I did my research and found they do about 55,000 of these a year and they’ve got it down to a fine art which is encouraging.”

The procedure was delayed by a month when it was discovered that John had an irregular heartbeat, due to his past smoking habit, and a small growth on his aorta (the body’s main artery). “I had to have an MRI scan but eventually they said it was okay to go ahead with the op,” he says.

John’s surgery took place at the Princess Grace Hospital in London in November 2016. “I went in on a Saturday morning, they knocked me out, took me down to theatre and I woke up a couple of hours later,” he says.

S Meddle/ITV/REX/Shutterstock

John with Good Morning Britain co-host Susanna Reid

“As I was wheeled back into my room I saw on the TV that Man City had just beaten Crystal Palace so I thought, ‘This has gone very well’.”

However he adds: “Sadly you don’t come out of those ops cured and jumping for joy. They got me out of bed to stumble around on crutches within a day and from then on I had to do exercises three times a day. I had to keep moving as there is a risk of blood clots. I was in a lot of pain and discomfort for the first seven to 10 days.”

John was prescribed powerful painkillers but they caused constipation. He says: “After a while I had to be put on something less strong which meant my bowels were moving but the pain was no longer significantly reduced.”

After four nights he was allowed to leave hospital to recuperate at his west London home. “We had to remove rugs and anything else I might have slipped on,” he says.

“I had to have a high chair and a raised seat for the toilet so I didn’t have to bend down as far, a very long shoehorn so I could stand up straight while putting shoes on and a long pair of scissors for picking things up off the floor.

“For the first two months I had to sleep on my back, not on my side, and with a pillow between my legs, which was difficult.

GETTY

John Stapleton with wife, TV presenter Lynn Faulds Wood

“You are not allowed to cross your legs for six weeks and you mustn’t put your knee above waist level.

“For weeks I couldn’t put my socks or pants on without excruciating pain so Lynn had to help with that. How anyone on their own copes I do not know. I was on crutches for four weeks.”

He adds: “There is nothing to fear as it is a straightforward operation these days. But don’t kid yourself that you’re going to leave hospital and run down the street because you won’t. As my consultant predicted, within six weeks I was more or less right and within six months I’d forgotten I’d even had it.

“I feel fine now and I’m delighted I had the op. Lynn encourages me to walk more. Although I’m 5ft 11in tall and weigh just over 11 stone, I’ve never had to exercise to lose weight.”

John still bears a scar from his experience and may soon have a matching one on his left leg.

“I have been told my other hip might have to be replaced within the next two years but I’m hoping it’ll be longer,” he says. “But I’m chuffed to have this new hip so far. They apparently last at least 20 years so that should see me out.”